The Animal Whisperer: A Heartwarming Tale of Compassion

The rain came down without warning, swathes of water drenching the parched earth. Amid the torrential downpour, little Mike heard faint whining – the soft, shrill cry of newborn puppies – coming from the other side of the wall. In an instant he was over the wall jumping back, his arms cradling five little pups! His mother was aghast! How could they look after the puppies; but Mike was determined. The pups would stay till as long as they could find a nice home for each. He loved animals!

Early the next morning, Mike heard the gate open and went to see who it was visiting at such an odd hour, when, lo and behold, there was the lady who lived nearby with a dozen Golden Retrievers, fussing with his puppies. She then went on to administer Abdec drops to each of the little fellows, much to Mike’s astonishment. Mike knew then and there that he had found a kindred spirit.

I guess it didn’t seem out of place for the lady to knock, or seek permission to enter someone else’s house, for her heart sure did all the talking. Thereafter, every morning saw her in the compound carrying biscuits and milk for the growing pups and some nourishment for the mother dog too. Mike did his part too and the doggie family was all agog with excitement whenever their two guardian angels were around.

Soon the little ones, now healthy and frisky, went off to their respective new homes. The mother, a beloved neighbourhood stray, was back where she belonged, patrolling the street that loved. She was part of the Golden Retriever troop that went out for walks with the lady every day. At four O’clock in the morning, when most of the streets were still in slumber land, this lady went about placing packets of food along the roadside for the poor, starving strays. Dogs of all shapes and sizes always surrounded her each time she stepped out.   

Soon I began to notice that this lady was not just a dog lover, but an animal lover, especially the abandoned and sick ones too. She hardly spoke, but in her eyes shone her heart filled with compassion for the weak and abandoned animals. Many a time Mike went to her rescue when irate folks fought with her for feeding street dogs of far and near.

Stray, sick or weak cows too came under her gentle, persuasive care. Many in the neighbourhood watched as she nursed an old, sickly cow back to health. She would wash its face every morning and smear holy ash and put a large vermillion dot on her Lakshmi’s forehead. She would then proceed to bring it rice water and vegetable peels. This went on till Lakshmi, having regained her strength, wandered off.

The lady, whose altruistic, untiring efforts to give a new lease of life to unwanted, uncared for and under-nourished animals, who she lovingly termed, “vaai illathe jeevam” did face a lot of flak (of course some of the residents had valid reasons too) but in the face of such pristine love for the underdog in the animal kingdom, most people came to appreciate and acknowledge the innate goodness, kindness and compassion of the lady, who, in Mike’s terminology is, The Florence Nightingale of Animals!